Toki Mela
General information Phonology Consonants Vowels Alphabet Phonotactics Syllables are ©V(m), vowel-intial syllables beginning with a glottal stop (there are no diphthongs). All consonants, regardless of type or position, are affected be gemination, which is phonemic. Grammar Nouns Nouns inflect very little. They only inflect for politeness, marked by backing of the initial vowel (a->ɐ, e->o, i->u). They also take gender suffixes: -e for the feminine, -o for the masculine, and nothing (if this would result in an impossible syllable, -ə) for the neuter. This is the sole case of gender marking; it is not expressed grammatically in any other way. Verbs Verbs take the suffix -u in their plain form. This is changed to -i to form the volitional, -a to form the negative, and -ɐ to form the negative volitional. Note that if any of these are identical to the last root vowel, they dissimilate to their central equivalents. The causative is formed by fronting the pentultimate vowel in the positive, and backing it in the negative (ɐ->a, a->a, o->ə, ə->e, u->y, y->i, i->e and e->a in the positive, and a->ɐ, ɐ->ɐ, o->ɐ, u->o, y->u, i->y, and e->ə, ə->o in the negative). Person is shown on the verb by infixing a consonant before the final consonant of the root. What is infixed is shown in the following: The polite form of the verb is made with the backing of the initial consonant (a->ɐ, e->o, i->u, y->u, o->ɐ). To form the perfective, exchange the last two vowels. Subordination is performed by geminating the final consonant. Other Parts of Speech We have a small number of other parts of speech. Pronouns act exactly like nouns, though they also possess plural forms derived through compounding the singulars. They also lack gender marking. Prepositions and adjectives only have predicate forms; the attributive form is the subordinate of the predicative. Conjunctions, quantifiers, and other particles are uninflecting. Syntax Sentences proceed in the order (Causer) Verb Subject. Topicalisation is very common, and can be performed through bringing the noun phrase of interest to the front of the sentence. It is almost ungrammatical to not topicalise in the case of just one noun phrase being present in a clause. There are no transitive verbs in Toki Mela; the closest eqivalents are passive verbs such as 'to be seen'. Toki Mela is consistently head-final. Questions are marked solely by rising intonation, generally placed on the verb. Question words will often be, though do not have to be, topicalised. Vocabulary Below is the 207 word Swadesh list plus the word Flag. It is arranged in alphabetical order by the English. I you (singular) he we you (plural) they this that here there who what where when how not all many some few other one two three four five big long wide thick heavy small short narrow thin woman man (male) man (human) child wife husband mother father animal fish bird dog louse snake worm tree forest stick fruit seed leaf root bark (of a tree) flower grass rope skin meat blood bone fat (noun) egg horn tail feather hair head ear eye nose mouth tooth tongue fingernail foot leg knee hand wing belly guts neck back breast heart liver to drink to eat to bite to suck to spit to vomit to blow to breathe to laugh to see to hear to know to think to smell to fear to sleep to live to die to kill to fight to hunt to hit to cut to split to stab to scratch to dig to swim to fly to walk to come to lie (as in a bed) to sit to stand to turn (intransitive) to fall to give to hold to squeeze to rub to wash to wipe to pull to push to throw to tie to sew to count to say to sing to play to float to flow to freeze to swell sun moon star water rain river lake sea salt stone sand dust earth cloud fog sky wind snow ice smoke fire ash to burn road mountain red green yellow white black night day year warm cold full new old good bad rotten dirty straight round sharp (as a knife) dull (as a knife) smooth wet dry correct near far right left at in with and if because name atatti amata ymtale atattitati amatatati ymtalela ymtole ttole ymtomto ttomto tAle ymami tomto itu imtamtA ima ttummtəte tamtuttam ttAmtam ttumtumai omta iti ymi ttam jom ymto oomtii ymamtAi iloi atui ommoi tiittai ymmittymtai ttemmai ottoi oma otomto ito ymtotommo tumma oto aa titi toummtutu ttamtama toli imu ttilammi emmty ymmimmittu ymti ymmoli ymmtou ymtutAmmomo tame a yme ttui ama ymtutta ymaa ymtaa ymimtu ti ome ammtula tammamto tumo ttimmto ame ymtammi atamma ymmimmi ymme ama ymtuti a ttita tumme atti atti ittA te tummtAtta ala tou ymtummty ttemamta ymmume ttimttou ymtamttou ymommu tammtəlu ymtammu ttammtulu amtu amtu umtu ymtomtuuttulu alau ymmilu ymtimtu ttilu ommou ymtamtu ottolelu ymelu imtilu ttimu ymtolottu tatamtau ymtalu tatamtu ymtilu alu ttittatu-ttulu ymtamtu olu ojomtu tommtu alumtu ymtulu ymelu ttualu omtilu ymmaalu otilu omtulu ymmotu ttimmtolu ymtottulu alau umtu imtu ottu ymamtəlu ymmuttummtu ymuu ymtattoelu iu utau attommtu umtu ymamtAlelu toumtetuttulu umtulammu taijou tumti otti ymmittu amme ymtaa ymmittuummi ummi ttio itti ttuma tili tuti ymtummo ymtili ttola ymtattə jumti ymtooli ymtemmuli i ai ymmoelu ymmiti jamma amtai ymmitoli ymtiilo ttiloi ymtuloi jolu i totti atatamtai ttammui ymmamim atalattii ului ii alui uai ymtitamai ymmattumtu ymmalui eili ymimmtui ymammelamta ymulelu ymtaamtu tatAttii timtai tooi ymmimty itAli tə tə to to ymala ymtala ymammae Example text Category:Akizreth